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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · net · face · pitcher · scale · staff · rule · bank

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. staff — a stick
  7. net — after costs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. staff — employees
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — electric
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rule — a law
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — government
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — in sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com